Bug Squad

Who's that knocking on our front door? Actually, we didn't hear it knock. It appeared out of nowhere and climbed up to our doorbell. We gingerly placed the jumping spider, Phidippus audax, in a vial to transport it to our backyard bee garden. Phidippus audax, aka P.A.

Ever heard of Schinia sueta? It's a moth. We spotted this little moth, from the Noctuidae family, in a meadow at the Hastings Preserve in Carmel in early May during the BugShot Macro Photography Course, taught by Alex Wild, John Abbott and Thomas Shahan.

It's almost time to celebrate! Or cele-bee-ate! In observation of National Pollinator Week, the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology has scheduled an open house at its half-acre bee garden, the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven from 5:30 to 7 p..m., Friday, June 19.

You never know what you'll see in your pollinator garden. That's why it's always a good idea to carry a camera with you, or you might miss a bit of drama. Not in drama queens, but in drama kings.

Newly published research by a Michigan State University-led team indicates that one of the reasons why the varroa mite is so destructive is because it infiltrates hives by smelling like a bee. The parasitic mite, or Varroa destructor, is a "blood sucker" that feeds on bees.